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2023-03-11 Arabia
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Iran, Saudi Arabia agree to resume ties, re-open embassies - report
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[Jpost] Tehran and Riyadh sent officials for talks in China, where eventually Iran-Saudi ties were restored.
Iranian and Saudi media said a statement by the two countries emphasized respect for sovereignty and non-interference in each other's internal affairs.
Saudi Arabia's state news agency said they also agreed to activate a security cooperation agreement signed in 2001, as well as another earlier accord on trade, economy and investment.
Iran's top security official, Ali Shamkhani, who signed the agreement with Saudi Arabia's national security adviser, Musaed bin Mohammed Al-Aiban, praised China for its role in the rapprochement, Iran's Nour News reported. Both Saudi Arabia and Iran thanked Iraq and Oman for hosting talks in 2021 and 2022.
China's foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
A White House national security spokesperson said the United States was aware of reports of the agreement and welcomed any efforts to help end the war in Yemen and de-escalate tensions in the Middle East.
IRANIAN-SAUDI DIPLOMATIC HISTORY
The two leading Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim powers in the Middle East have been at odds for years, and backed opposite sides in proxy wars from Yemen to Syria and elsewhere.
Saudi Arabia cut ties with Iran in 2016 after its embassy in Tehran was stormed during a dispute between the two countries over Riyadh's execution of a Shi'ite Muslim cleric.
Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian said that normalizing relations offered great prospects for both countries and for the Middle East, and hinted at further steps.
"The neighborhood policy, as the key axis of the Iranian government’s foreign policy, is strongly moving in the right direction and the diplomatic apparatus is actively behind the preparation of more regional steps," Amirabdollahian tweeted.
A senior Iranian security official said Friday's agreement had been endorsed by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Both Oman and Iraq have hosted talks between Iran and Saudi Arabia in the past, something which the two countries thanked them for.
US SAYS IT WAS NOT DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN TALKS
Saudi Arabia kept Washington informed of its talks with Iran to restore diplomatic relations but the United States was not directly involved, White House spokesman John Kirby said on Friday.
"The Saudis did keep us informed about these talks that they were having, just as we keep them informed on our engagements, but we weren't directly involved," Kirby told reporters. 
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Posted by Skidmark 2023-03-11 00:00||
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